Hi, H! Other than slowly reducing you Effexor intake, have you used the same supplement regimen throughout? I'd like to get started on that whilst waiting for my doctor recommend a tapering plan. Thanks in advance

I’d been taking the supplements for about six months prior to the Effexor tapering and I’ll be tapering off some of those supplements now that I’m off the Effexor. In another post, a user was concerned about the amount of B6 I am taking. My doctor increased the B6 from 25mg 2x daily to 100mg 2x daily as a short term increase. Since I will continue to take the L-tyrosine and L-tryptophan to help with dopamine and serotonin production, my level of B6 will be reduced back to the 25mg 2x daily.

I hope the protocol I used will be of benefit to you. I worked with my doctor the whole time and I’d encourage you to do the same. Everyone’s body chemistry is different, so it’s important to be working with a professional while tapering off a medication like Effexor. Best of luck!

I'm not sure what you mean about "supplement regimen"? I went from 150 mg to 75mg then down to 37.5. Week by week by week. I think the decrease was too fast. I have taken it for such a long time, my body needed more time to "detox" from each decrease. These drugs are nothing to take lightly, let me tell you. The side affects and anxiety will just about kill you....tread lightly and ask your doctor LOTS of questions and don't hesitate to question their suggestions. You know your body best....good luck.

Thank you, John. I think that's the missing link in my withdrawal. The supplements that my body is craving. What is L-tyrosine and L-tryptophan? Are those antidepressants? It sounds like your doctor did a lot more preparation in your withdrawal than mine did. It's sooooooo hard to trust doctors these days! Like I said in my previous post, she weaned me off of the Effexor within 4 weeks with no supplements. I have read where alcoholics that are trying to detox take B vitamins to help with detox symptoms. I take B12 and Magnesium daily as I read those vitamins help with healing. The physical affects of withdrawal have wreaked havoc on my gastro system...which, that in itself, is hard to endure. I truly wonder if I'm going to make it through this. I'll tell you one thing, I will do MUCH research on any drug a doctor prescribes from here on out....including antibiotics, bp meds, etc. I feeling like a walking Walgreen drug store...One good thing has come out of the withdrawal from the Effexor. My bp is well within normal limits. It has gone from typically being 180-185/80-90 down to in the 120's but my lower number is still high....in the 70's. That was my real purpose in trying to get off of the Effexor. That and my gynormous weight gain and sweating. And the lethargy was almost intolerable. I didn't care about anything. I think one of the reasons my anxiety is so overwhelming is that for the first time in a long time, I realize how much of my life I missed out on while I was in the fog of the Effexor. I don't know how to plan a routine for the day because before all I did was sleep....sometimes 16-18 hours a day. No lie. I could not function and knew something was horribly wrong. When I started researching the effects of Effexor, I was scared out of my mind. I have read that in some cases it can take 6-8 months to totally be free of the detox symptoms. As long as I can see some improvement daily, I think I'll make it....but my continued grief over my son keeps me taking two steps forward and three steps back. I realize that I will live with that my entire life....but I just want to feel better to be the best mother I can be to my daughter. She is my rock....and I feel so badly that she has seen me go through all of this. Thank you for your continued contact and suggestions. God bless....

omg, so much of what you said were you symptoms being on Effexor is what I was experiencing. Quick and severe weight gain/creation of eating disorders, sweating, constant lethargy, my depression is worse where I don't want to do things I love, social anxiety is worse. the withdraw symptoms are even worse. I just want to be healthy and happy.

I also managed to slowly taper off, from the highest dose you can be prescribed down to 35.7 being the smallest amount you can take (without splitting pills)
The tapering process was a breeze. Because of venlafaxines half life, coming off the last 35.7 is usually the hardest and has the most side effects. Your brain goes from having 35.7 to NOTHING and that's when it got really tough for me. I'm on day 6 or 7 of being off venlafaxine completely. Almost straight away I started getting the vertigo and brain zaps. Day 4 was the worst for this and fatigue. Today I have flu like symptoms but it does seem the brain zaps arent as full on as they have been.. or theres less vertigo accompanying the brain zaps. It's seriously hard work, if we weren't in a nationwide lockdown due to covid-19 I would have definitely needed to take a week off work. No way i could function at that level as I go through this.